Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Once they pulled into the lot next to the clinic, the guard on the passenger side exited and opened the door for Hope. She stepped out and immediately Jimmy put his hand on her shoulder. She hurriedly shrugged off his hand and glared at the guard.
“I can fucking walk on my own. Remember, can’t damage the merchandise,” she scoffed.
One held the door open for the doctor’s office, giving her no room to even try to run. The third thug remained at the helm for the all-clear.
With a cool, calm breath, she approached the front desk and addressed the receptionist. “Hi, Hope Cummings. I have an appointment.”
The woman raised a brow, pursed her lips briefly before pulling some papers and then adding them to a clipboard with a pen. “Okay, fill this out and have a seat.”
“Thanks,” she muttered, taking the clipboard with HIPAA forms attached. Hope rolled her eyes because none of that mattered. Her life wasn’t her own anymore until she could get away. She looked around the room, searching for a possible way to escape, accidentally catching the attention of Jimmy.
He came over and sat down next to her. He leaned over as she filled out the forms, checking to see what and how she answered the questions. It was evident that he was making sure she wasn’t leaving notes for the staff, warning them that she was being trafficked. With his breath grazing her ear, he threatened her, “They all work for Navarro. Remember that, bitch.”
With a smirk on her face, she gave him her own little advice. “I’ll remember to tell Navarro that you stole a kiss from me.” She winked at him and then stood like a queen with her head held high, walking over to turn the forms in.
The two men in their suits with sunglasses on were clearly out of place in a gynecologist’s office, but they didn’t care one bit. They looked like they belonged outside an expensive club guarding the door. Several of the women stole glances at Hope, wondering who she was to have these massive escorts with her. How she itched to tell them why they followed her.
Twenty minutes passed before she was called back. “Just the young lady,” the nurse stated when the three men stood. Internally, Hope breathed a sigh of relief. This was her one and only opportunity to make a break for it. Hope didn’t have long to escape before the doctor or nurses would come looking for her. Thankfully for her, the rooms were on the first floor, making an escape much more manageable than she expected.
The nurse’s assistant led her down the hall and pointed a little further ahead. “Please use the restroom around the corner and pee in this cup. We only need you to go up to this line, and let a little go before you start collecting. After you finish up, please go into room three. The doctor will be in with you a few minutes after they review your history and sample.” She handed Hope a sealed plastic medical cup and pointed again to the bathroom around the corner.
Hope hit the proverbial jackpot as she stared at the large EXIT sign. It wasn’t equipped with an alarm, which made it twenty times better. She snuck out, sliding along the edge of the building, and came around the other corner.
What Hope didn’t see was that a woman had noticed something was off with the men. She’d heard Jimmy mention, “If they take any longer, we’re going to go in there and look for her. We can’t let her escape. She’s too damn valuable.”
Minutes passed, and they grew antsier. “Sir, please have a seat. The visit is at least half an hour.”
He grumbled something and then sat back down. This continued for a good while before John stood up and moved to the counter. He was about to harass the receptionist when the eight-month pregnant former law clerk stood up, waddled to the door separating the patients from the waiting room, and groaned. Her breathing became harsher, attracting the attention of the staff and all those around. Her theatrics bought the runaway more time than she knew. The medical staff blocked the hall inside the patient area, halting any attempt to go look for Hope, who was already a good distance away.
Unable to head to the airport without being easily tracked, she hurried down about four blocks before she hailed a taxicab. The next step in her plan was to get a new change of clothes. The first place she knew to be crowded would be Market Square.
“The Market Square, please,” Hope instructed the driver whilst repeatedly looking out of the rear window for any of her father’s men. She knew it was a well-populated place far away from the doctor’s office that would be easy to hide in and where she could pick up some tourist style clothes to change into.